And folks, I’m here to tell you about the best cookbook ever. It’s the brand-new “City of San Bernardino Bicentennial Cookbook,” featuring almost 400 treasured family recipes submitted by the people of the city and region.

Produced by the Friends of the San Bernardino Public Library, the cookbook is a “beautiful keepsake with many family recipes handed down through the generations,” says the library’s Linda Puetz, who chairs the Bicentennial Cookbook Committee. “There are little tidbits of personal history about the recipes. And snippets of interesting facts about San Bernardino.”

The book’s publication is part of San Bernardino’s yearlong bicentennial celebration. Rabbi Hillel Cohn, who chairs the San Bernardino Bicentennial Committee, writes in his introduction to the book that it symbolizes the city perfectly with its wide-ranging mix of dishes. There’s Mexican food, cowboy grub, Native American fare, California cuisine, Old World classics and more.

“The recipes included in this cookbook represent the diverse ethnic groups that make up our great city of San Bernardino,” Rabbi Cohn writes.

The rabbi emeritus of Congregation Emanu El also contributes a recipe to the collection. It’s for Meringue with Lemon Filling, and it sounds delicious.

Puetz also contributes several recipes, for dishes such as Fresh Strawberry Pie and Quince Honey. Mmm!

I’m in the book, too. I contributed recipes for San Bernardino Chili, Inland Empire Salad and John’s Famous All-Red Salsa.

You know, the city’s bicentennial celebration will be long remembered for many reasons, not least among them the fact that three books have been produced to mark the occasion, and all three are likely to stick around for a long time to come.

There’s the lavish coffeetable book, “San Bernardino Bicentennial,” published by The Sun and the San Bernardino Bicentennial Committee. It’s available for $24.95 by visiting in person during business hours at The Sun, 4030 N. Georgia Blvd., San Bernardino; or the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 2041 E. Fourth St., Ontario; or the Redlands Daily Facts, 700 Brookside Ave., Redlands. More info: 909-386-3014.

It also will be on sale at the Fourth of July Bicentennial Extravaganza starting at 5 p.m. July 4 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park in downtown San Bernardino. Tickets to the event, which will feature the biggest fireworks show in city history, are only $5 at the stadium box office, 280 S. E St., San Bernardino. More info: 909-888-9922.

Another new book is “City of San Bernardino Bicentennial Coloring and History Book” by Skip Herbert, featuring line drawings of 40 city landmarks past and present. The book ($9.95) and a set of unique arrowhead-shaped crayons ($3) are available at the California Welcome Center, 1955 Hunts Lane, Suite 102, San Bernardino; the San Bernardino Railroad and History Museum, 1170 W. Third St., San Bernardino; the San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society, 796 N. D St., San Bernardino; and Bright Idea Books, 1528 N. Waterman Ave., San Bernardino. More info: 909-888-3296.

And now we have a third book, the excellent “City of San Bernardino Bicentennial Cookbook,” which is sure to have a place of honor in kitchens throughout the city and region for the next hundred years – at least!

The 258-page, hard-cover, ring-bound book comes with its own acrylic bookstand, so it can be displayed in an open position. Handy while cooking!

The book, $20, is available at the California Welcome Center and at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library, 555 W. Sixth St., San Bernardino, and at all library branches in the city. More info: 909-381-8201.